Saturday, September 17, 2002, Day 3
Photos by Betsy
We are sorry to see our time in Salzburg end. This city lives up to all the hype. It’s beautiful, friendly, interesting and filled with plenty to see and do.
We started the day with breakfast at Hotel Goldgasse and it did not disappoint. Samplings of cheese, meats, bread, fruits with plenty of jams, jellies and other offerings, plus the option of ordering eggs, etc. The coffee was good and the service was fantastic. We know this hotel has set a standard that will be hard to beat elsewhere.
On the way to catch the funicular to the fortress, we passed a oompah band, which we took as good omen for the day.
The fortress itself would be interesting for people interested in forts. For us, it was all about the fantastic views.
We chose to walk down from the fortress instead of taking the funicular. We should have done that in reverse. A walk up would have been extremely difficult but also great exercise and a good warm-up for the coming walking holiday. Walking down those steep hills and steps did no favors for our knees.
We relied on Rick Steves again, this time for the Steingasse Stroll, which took us into New Town. Steingasse is a narrow, cobbled alleyway with a few interesting sites. Joseph Mohr, who wrote the words to Silent Night (Stille Nacht), was born poor and illegitimate in 1792 in one of the buildings along the walk. The carol was sung for the first time in 1818 just outside of Salzburg.
Further up the walk, there is a gouge in the wall that serves as a reminder of an American GI who tried to get a WWII tank down this narrow road during a visit to the town brothel. Where the brothel was located now has a sign on it that indicates it operates as a club or bar.
It was a chilly day and we were hungry for something warm for lunch. We stopped in a cute little spot on the main pedestrian street in New Town and ordered two of the specials on the menu, a tomato soup and stuffed dumplings with cabbage. Both were excellent.
After lunch, we continued to walk along Linzergasse, which is filled with shops and cafes, and then visited St. Sebastian Cemetery. It’s so beautiful, even in the rain. It dates from 1600 when Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich had all the graves moved from tombs at the cathedral to this spot. He then built his own mausoleum in the center. Mozart’s wife Constanze and his father Leopold are buried there. Rich families have tombs along the walls. Some of the art is interesting and some of it is a bit scary.
We walked back to Old Town and stopped at the famed Cafe Tomaselli for piece of its namesake cake. I told the waiter I wasn’t ordering but would share Betsy’s cake. He was having none of that and gifted us another slice of cake that was something like a tiramisu. It was the better of the two.
More scenes from Salzburg
Next up: The walking holiday begins.
Kim & Betsy 